Natural History Wanderings

SF Gate reported

At first sight, Highway 89 in Montana doesn’t look dangerous. It’s bucolic: horses and cattle graze near the road, the Yellowstone River winds in and out of sight, and the Absaroka Mountains rise sharply to the east. But with alarming frequency, this two-lane highway en route to Yellowstone National Park becomes a bloody mess when wildlife cross the road. 0:

Wildlife-vehicle collisions on this stretch of highway between Livingston and Yellowstone’s north entrance in Gardiner, one of the park’s five entrances and the only one that stays open year-round, have cost drivers $32 million in damages over the past 10 years, according to a coalition called Yellowstone Safe Passages. Yellowstone Safe Passages is made up of residents of the Upper Yellowstone watershed, as well as state and federal agencies, elected officials, conservation groups, landowners and more.

Read more  Montana’s bold gamble to stop the Yellowstone highway bloodbath